The how do you explain that to a 10-year old edition

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There are times when Westminster doesn't have to be a bear pit of party confrontation, when good laws are passed with the support of members from all sides. Friday should have been a great example.

Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse's Private Members Bill would have made it illegal to take photographs up women's skirts. With the support of the Labour benches and government ministers, it should have gone through on the nod.

But one lone man, Sir Christopher Chope OBE, Tory MP for Christchurch, stepped forward and with one shout of "Object", the Bill fell.

I hope Chope gets to ponder the musings of a very special ten year old, who sent me a poster soon after she heard. And I hope the voters of Christchurch cast this Stone Age man into oblivion at the next opportunity.

Chope was ably assisted by another Tory MP Philip Davies during the afternoon. Another excellent Bill they nearly crushed with their wrecking ball tactics was my colleague Steve Reed's "Seni's Law", which would control the use of force in mental health units. Fortunately, it did pass report stage.

The Nasty Party was truly out in full force.

Betting and backsliding

In the spirit of party co-operation, you may recall my recent praise for Sports minister Tracey Crouch for standing up to the betting industry and reducing the maximum stake on fixed-odds-betting-terminals from £100 to £2.

Well, guess what? The Treasury has now managed to grant the industry a two-year stay of execution - a pathetic move from a fundamentally weak government.

Those campaigners who praised the government now feel badly let down. The Tories are already rolling back on their promises and allowing these machines to ruin more lives.

Musings with Nick

I really like the format of podcasts.I'm listening to more and more, particularly on health and nutrition. And chatting away to the BBC's Nick Robinson felt like a cross between appearing on Desert Island Discs and On The Pyschiatrist's Couch.

I ended up talking about my communist grandma, Rupert Murdoch in my bins, Britain's Brexit dilemma, and how a massive transformational government led by Jeremy Corbyn can fix our broken political economy.

Seeking the truth

Four years ago I raised the suggestion that Margaret Thatcher's government had colluded with India around the military raid on Sri Harmandir Sahib, known to many as the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984.

The government has repeatedly resisted calls to declassify crucial documents, which may explain the motive and extent of our collusion in the Operation Blue Star raid.

The government has lost a court ruling and must now make these documents public. This is a highly significant and important ruling. We can no longer hide Britain's role in these terrible events.

It has been a source of deep hurt to the British Sikh community for the past four years that Britain could have played a role in the terrible massacre of 1984. If the government appeals against this decision it will be a cowardly attempt to hide the truth.

My MP colleagues Preet Kaur Gill and Tan Dhesi will say more on this matter in the days and weeks ahead.

That's the way to do it Jeremy

On Tuesday I went to the launch of a brilliant new book: (Yes, I've mentioned it before!), Punch & Judy Politics: An Insiders' Guide to Prime Minister's Questions.

The following day Jeremy's opening question was up there with the all-time greats.

I've made a short video - with sub-titles. Hope you like it!

Parents performing

Parents in the Performing Arts, is launching the UK’s biggest ever survey of work/life balance in the performing arts. 'Balancing Act: Work/Life Survey’ aims to reveal the biggest challenges to juggling caring responsibilities and working in Dance, Music, Opera and Theatre, as well as identifying the most effective strategies for change. If you feel you have something to contribute, they would love to hear from you here.